Last updated: 23 September 2026
This privacy policy explains how London Legal Immigration Services Ltd, trading as The Smart Visa (“we”, “us”, “our”), collects, uses and protects your personal data when you use our website or our immigration advice services.
We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who we are
| Company name | London Legal Immigration Services Ltd T/A The Smart Visa Ltd |
| Company number | 16324939 (registered in England and Wales) |
| Registered office | 9 Little Park Street, Coventry, CV1 2UR, United Kingdom |
| info@thesmartvisa.com | |
| Phone | +44 7546 057874 |
| ICO registration number | ZC059761 |
| IAA registration number | F202536440 |
We are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. If you have any questions about this policy or your personal data, contact us at info@thesmartvisa.com.
2. The personal data we collect
When you visit our website
- Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and time spent on the site
- Cookie data: see Section 10 below
When you contact us, book a consultation or subscribe to updates
- Identity and contact data: name, email address, phone number
- Enquiry details: information you choose to share about your immigration situation
- Marketing preferences: whether you have agreed to receive our email updates
When you become our client
To give you immigration advice and prepare applications, we may need to collect:
- Identity data: full name, date of birth, nationality, passport and travel document details, immigration history and status
- Contact data: address and address history, email, phone number
- Family data: details of your partner, children and other family members connected to your application
- Employment and education data: CV, employment history, qualifications, salary, sponsor or employer details
- Financial data: bank statements, payslips, tax records and other evidence of funds
- Business data (for sponsor licence and business clients): company records, HR and right-to-work records, organisational charts
- Payment data: records of fees paid (we do not store full card details; card payments are processed securely)
Special category and criminal offence data
Immigration applications sometimes require more sensitive information, such as:
- health information (for example, TB test results or medical evidence)
- information about criminal convictions (required by the Home Office for suitability checks)
- information that may reveal racial or ethnic origin or religious beliefs (for example, for religious worker routes)
We only collect this information where it is necessary for your case, and we protect it with extra care.
3. How we use your personal data and our lawful basis
| Purpose | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Responding to your enquiry and arranging a consultation | Taking steps at your request before entering into a contract; our legitimate interests in responding to enquiries |
| Providing immigration advice and preparing and submitting applications | Performance of a contract with you |
| Meeting our regulatory obligations to the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), including keeping client files | Legal obligation |
| Carrying out anti-money laundering and identity checks where required | Legal obligation |
| Taking payment and keeping financial records | Performance of a contract; legal obligation (tax and accounting) |
| Sending email updates about immigration changes | Your consent (you can unsubscribe at any time) |
| Improving our website and services | Our legitimate interests |
| Handling complaints and defending legal claims | Our legitimate interests; legal obligation |
Special category data (such as health information) is processed where it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or where you have given your explicit consent.
Criminal offence data is processed where it is necessary for obtaining legal advice or for legal claims, as permitted under Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
4. Who we share your data with
We only share your personal data where it is necessary. This may include:
- UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and the Home Office, when submitting applications on your behalf
- Courts and tribunals, where your case requires it
- The Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), our regulator, where required for audits, inspections or complaints
- Your sponsor or employer, where the application relates to sponsored employment and you have instructed us to do so
- Service providers who help us run our business, including website hosting, email, IT support, cloud storage, accounting and payment processing. They may only use your data on our instructions.
- Professional advisers, such as accountants, insurers and lawyers
- Law enforcement or other authorities, where we are legally required to do so
We never sell your personal data.
5. International transfers
Some of our service providers may store data outside the UK. Where this happens, we make sure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as a UK adequacy decision or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or Addendum.
If your application involves a UK embassy, visa application centre or authority overseas, your data may be transferred to that country as part of the application process.
6. How long we keep your data
| Type of data | How long we keep it |
|---|---|
| Website enquiries that do not become clients | [12 months] from your last contact |
| Client files | [At least 6 years] after your matter closes, in line with our regulatory and legal obligations |
| Financial and accounting records | 6 years from the end of the relevant financial year |
| Email marketing list | Until you unsubscribe |
When we no longer need your data, we securely delete or destroy it.
7. How we protect your data
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data. These include secure encrypted storage, access controls, password protection and staff confidentiality obligations. Only people who need your information to work on your case can access it.
8. Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
- Delete your data, where we no longer have a legal reason to keep it
- Restrict how we use your data
- Object to us using your data, including for direct marketing
- Data portability: receive your data in a commonly used format
- Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on your consent
Some rights have limits. For example, we may need to keep client files to meet our regulatory obligations.
To use any of these rights, email info@thesmartvisa.com. We will respond within one month. There is normally no fee.
9. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us first at info@thesmartvisa.com so we can try to put things right.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
- Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
- Phone: 0303 123 1113
10. Cookies
Our website uses cookies. These are small text files stored on your device.
- Essential cookies are needed for the website to work, for example to remember your cookie choices and to keep forms secure. You cannot switch these off.
- Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it. We use [ANALYTICS TOOL, e.g. Google Analytics], and only with your consent.
- Third-party cookies may be set by embedded services such as [BOOKING TOOL / GOOGLE MAPS / YOUTUBE / reCAPTCHA].
You can change your cookie preferences at any time using the cookie banner on our website, or through your browser settings.
11. Third-party websites
Our website may contain links to other websites, including GOV.UK. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. Please read their own privacy policies.
12. Children
Our website is not aimed at children. Where we act for a family that includes children, we only process children’s data as part of the application, with the consent and instruction of a parent or guardian.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated shown at the top.
14. Contact us
London Legal Immigration Services Ltd T/A The Smart Visa Ltd 9 Little Park Street, Coventry, CV1 2UR, United Kingdom Email: info@thesmartvisa.com Phone: +44 7546 057874